I don’t believe the shiny new phone touted across my screens will make me into a hip dude. That’s going to take a lot more than an expensive gadget in my pocket. I’m skeptical of politicians promising change, diets leading to six-pack abs, and gluten-free bread.
So when Thomas expresses his doubt about the resurrection of Jesus, I follow with a hearty Amen!
The most famous doubter of all time said, Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.
It only took a week to call his bluff. The resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples, turned to Thomas and said, Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop doubting and believe.
Thomas responded, My Lord and my God!
How gracious of Jesus to confront Thomas in the midst of his doubts. Thomas responded enthusiastically, spreading the good news of Jesus’s resurrection far and wide. Tradition holds he was martyred in India by a spear in the side, much like his Savior on the cross. Once his doubts were settled, Thomas never turned back.
I like knowing I can doubt. Jesus knows how to handle doubt, and it’s best to take our doubts straight to the Lord. Thomas challenged what he heard about Jesus, who then met him in his doubting state. I can take my doubts to Jesus in a similar way, converse and argue with God, then see if and how the Holy Spirit settles my questions.
Maybe not as dramatic as Jesus showing up in my room and asking me to poke him in the side, but I’ll never know until I ask.
John 20 in reading the Bible in 2023
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